The Lip - Monster Mash win at AIBA - The West Australian

It was going to be a one-off brew. But now Mash are going to have give the beer public more of their special American India Pale Ale.

The WA team is the toast of the brewing world after winning the best beer prize at the Australian International Beer Awards.

The success is a great result for head brewer Charlie Hodgson, who has been a strong experimenter in his Swan Valley enterprise.

His AIPA was only going to be a seasonal product, however, it will return to the operation in the wake of the big win in Melbourne.

"We always left the door open to bring it back if it went well with the public," Hodgson said. "I've got a little bit left at the moment but we might save that for some celebration drinks.

"I'll have a look at what I've got in stock but we likely run it through again this week and should have more available in a couple of weeks."

Mash were also celebrating the win by sister brewery 3 Ravens in the best small brewery class.

Another WA exponent, Nail Brewing, won the top prize for the best porter with their Hughe Dunn Brown Ale.

Head brewer John Stallwood was convinced to enter the drink into a slightly different category and although it would have tested the judges the moves paid off handsomely.

The Brown Ale, named in honour of ECU brewing lecturer Hugh Dunn, was produced in 750ml bottles and proved instantly popular with drinkers.

This year, the AIBA received a record 1,560 entries from more than 294 brewers in 31 countries and a total of 25 Champion and Major Trophies were presented.

A diverse range of styles were assessed by an expert panel of 40 judges from Australia, Norway, Belgium, United States, United Kingdom, Japan and New Zealand, over a week of judging at Melbourne Showgrounds.

AIBA Head Judge, Little Creatures Head Brewer Warren Pawsey, congratulated his team of judges and the competition entrants from around the world.

“It was a great privilege to lead such a talented panel of judges who brought a diverse mix of backgrounds and wealth of experience to the competition.

“All the beers that were entered were treated with respect, individually assessed, evaluated blind and without bias, and we hope that our comments and feedback provide great value and benefit to entrants,” said Mr Pawsey.